FIRST NEWS PLUS for Monday, July 14, 2014
New Jersey's First News, hosted by Eric Scott, written and produced by Matthew White and Patrick Lavery. Full podcast available below. Digital support, with additional links, by Dan Alexander.
ALAN KASPER'S FORECAST:
TODAY: Showers and thunderstorms that could produce locally heavy rain & gusty winds.Humid. High: 85-90
TONIGHT: Showers and thunderstorms that could produce locally heavy rain & gusty winds. Low: 70-75
TOMORROW: Showers and thunderstorms that could produce locally heavy rain & gusty winds.Humid. High: 85
A City in Shock - A 23-year old police officer killed In Jersey City, a trophy kill of a deranged man who wanted to be famous. Melvin Santiago always wanted to be a police officer. He went to college to study criminal justice and eagerly undertook the challenges of patrolling one of the most dangerous districts in the city. He was well known and well liked in the neighborhood. Now they can't believe he is gone.
Santiago was killed as he exited his police cruiser early Sunday morning. Mayor Steve Fulop says the gunman tripped the alarm at a Walgreen’s and lay in wait for police to arrive. 27-year old Lawrence Campbell punched a security guard in the face, took his gun and then waited. Campbell shot Santiago in the head as he got out of the car. Fellow officers opened fire shooting Campbell dead but not before he got off a few more shots of his own narrowly missing two other officers.This morning, grief and shock has settled over Jersey City and the entire law enforcement community. Friends and fellow officers are leaving heart wrenching tributes on Santiago's Facebook page.
- Jersey City Mayor: Cop killer lay in wait for police to arrive / NJ1015.com (Associated Press)
- 'God took my angel from me,' says stepfather of slain Jersey City officer / Jersey Journal
Odor Leads to Evacuation - Emergency officials in Skippack Township, Pennsylvania say they don't believe a mysterious odor that's prompted the evacuation of some 100 homes is hydrogen cyanide. They've evacuated the homes in which they've gotten readings of hydrogen cyanide, but they believe some other chemical is causing the odor. Some residents are taking shelter at a local elementary school.
Record Spending - Over the past several years many state programs in New Jersey have had their budgets trimmed, but more money has been pumped into higher education than at any time in the past 2 decades.
- Fighting to hold the line on college costs / NJ1015.com
PATH Train Derails - 200 passengers had to be helped off a PATH train that hit a box truck just outside Newark. The train partially derailed but did not topple over. The truck was trying to cross the tracks when it was hit. Only minor injuries.
- 200 evacuated in PATH train derailment / NJ1015.com (AP)
- PATH train partially derails after hitting truck in Harrison, 200 evacuate / Star-Ledger
Bird Strike - A scary time aboard an Air India flight that had just left Newark Airport. The plane his some birds which caused an engine fire. The plane, with 313 aboard, was able to return safely to the airport and no one was hurt.
National TransportationFund Almost Broke - Unless Congress acts, the Federal Highway Trust Fund will go broke next month and payments to states like New Jersey could be cut off. John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville), head of the New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee says the consequences would be dire.
- NJ could lose federal transportation cash / NJ1015.com
Drone Strike - Israel's military says it's downed a drone along its southern coastline that came from Gaza. Today's downing is the first time Israel has encountered such a weapon since its campaign against Gaza Strip militants began last week. The military says since last week, militants have fired nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel, causing some injuries and damage to property. But more than 170 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel's air strikes.
- Israel says it downed drone along southern coast / NJ1015.com
- Gaza drone enters Israel, is shot down over Ashdod by IAF / Jerusalem Post
Blaming Obama - Governor Christie (R) is partly blaming unrest in the Middle East on President Obama. Christie says Obama has not spoken forecefully on Isreal's behalf and the country no longer trusts it has the full support of the United States.
- Christie blames Obama in part for Mideast unrest / NJ1015.com (AP)
- Chris Christie dings Obama, won’t rule out 2016 / Politico
"Poison in a package" - A deadly synthetic opiate is causing new concern in Ocean County, already plagued with a heroin epidemic.
- Deadly drug is like ‘poison in a package’ / NJ1015.com
Another AC Closure - By the end of the year, 7,000 workers could be unemployed in Atlantic City. As the gaming market crumbles the effects are devastating. Notices go out today to employees at Trump Plaza the latest casino to announce it's intent to close.
- Trump Plaza in AC is closing in September / NJ1015.com
Housing Starts Jump - Good news from New Jersey's housing front: the number of new construction permits has jump-started this year so far to its best level since 2007.
- Home construction on the rise in NJ / NJ1015.com
JMomm - JWoww from "Jersey Shore" is a mom. MTV announced Jenni Farley welcomed her first child, daughter Meilani Alexandra, at a New Jersey hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces. A representative for Farley says she and her daughter are doing well.
- JWoww of ‘Jersey Shore’ welcomes daughter Meilani / NJ1015.com (AP)
- JWoww's labor induced / TMZ
SCORES:
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